Swab holder

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a swab holder. This invention uses a conventional blister package holding cotton swabs therein. The holder is a container having a receptacle and a back plate attached to the receptacle. An aperture is formed on the receptacle to form an outlet for swabs to be discharged therethrough. A discharge unit is mounted to the inner wall or outlet wall of the receptacle in a position to cover the aperture of the receptacle. The discharge unit has a door which is in direct access with the aperture of the receptacle. The door is hingeably placed on the discharge unit to cover and uncover the aperture of the receptacle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a swab holder and, moreparticularly, to a container for hygienically and conveniently holdingswabs therein.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, a plurality of cotton swabs, which are disposable items, iscompactly held in a holder. The cotton swabs, consumed in greatquantity, are held in an inexpensive blister package or in a plasticcontainer of a higher quality than the blister package. However, afterbeing initially opened, a large portion of the blister package or theplastic container remains exposed to the outside, so that the blisterpackage or the plastic container is unhygienic and wastes cotton swabs.As an improved container, a holder for holding cotton swabs that havebeen packaged individually has been proposed. However, this holder isdisadvantageous in that great expense is incurred in individuallypackaging individual cotton swabs, and it is inconvenient to unwrap thecotton swabs individually. Furthermore, a conventional holder, having aswab discharge unit as an opening structure, has been proposed. However,two parts of the swab discharge unit must be assembled with each other,so that it is uneconomical. Further, the swab discharge unit isinstalled in a blister package, so that it is difficult to manufactureand use. The height of the swab discharge unit must vary, according tothe storage capacity of the blister package, so that the swab dischargeunits of various sizes are required, thereby it is economicallyinefficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind theabove problems occurring in the prior ark and an object of the presentinvention is to provide a hygienic and convenient swab holder, which isconstructed so that a simple opening structure, namely, a dischargeunit, is mounted to the outer wall of a blister package or a plasticreceptacle, thus allowing swabs to be more hygienically and safelystored, while maintaining an existing appearance and an economicalproduction system. The discharge unit comprises a single moldingstructure. Such a structure achieves economical production andmanagement. Further, the single structure is light in weight, thusproviding a good appearance and allowing easy assembly.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention providesa swab holder, which is constructed so that an aperture serving as anoutlet is provided on one side of the outer wall of a thin andtransparent blister package that holds swabs therein and is manufacturedthrough plastic molding, and a discharge unit, which is thecharacteristic element of this invention, is mounted to the blisterpackage. Thus, when a user desires to use the swabs, the swabs are takenout of the holder by opening a door which is integrally provided on thedischarge unit. After use, the door is closed using a handle. Thus, itis easy to take the swabs out of the holder. Further, the contaminationof the swabs is minimized, unlike the conventional opening structurewhich is always open, thus storing the swabs hygienically and preventingwaste of the swabs. Preferably, a packing film is used to firmly mountthe discharge unit to the blister package.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more clearly understood from the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a swab holder, according to the presentinvention shown without the layer of predetermined material;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the swab holder, in whichswabs are packed together with the discharge unit;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the swab holder, in which the dischargeunit is closed;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the discharge unit showing the dischargeunit in the opened state;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the swabholder shown without the layer of predetermined material; and,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the swab holder.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments of this invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container for holding swabs,according, to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspectiveview of the container for holding swabs therein. FIG. 3 is a perspectiveview showing the state where the discharge unit has been assembled, FIG.4 is a perspective view showing the state wherein the discharge unit isopen, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of thepresent invention, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of yet anotherembodiment of the present invention.

The most common conventional container for holding swabs is a containerhaving a receptacle 150 having an open back side and a backboard 100attached to the back side of the receptacle 150 to cover the open backside of the receptacle 150. The container 10 of the present inventionimproves upon this conventional container. According to the presentinvention, a discharge unit 230 is mounted to the outer surface of thereceptacle 150 as shown in FIG. 1. In the alternative as shown in FIG.5, the discharge unit 230 can be mounted to the inner surface of thereceptacle 150. The receptacle 150 has a pair of opposed side walls 151.The discharge unit 230 can be made of polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene(PE) or another suitable similar material. The receptacle 150 can be ofthe type known in the art as a blister package. Furthermore, a layer ofpredetermined material 110 is wrapped around the discharge unit 230 andcontainer, which includes the receptacle 150 and backboard 100. Thepredetermined material can be of the type known in the art which issuitable to serve as a packing film. The discharge unit 230 of thisinvention has a simple construction without the necessity of assembly.That is, the discharge unit 230 can be manufactured through injectionmolding to be integrated with a hingeably mounted door 259 equipped witha handle 180. A hinge line 240 is provided on the discharge unit 230, sothat it is possible to open or close the door 259 along the hinge line240. The door 259 covers and uncovers an opening 269 formed through thedischarge unit 230. Furthermore, when the door 259 is closed, a button245 of the door 259 is inserted into a button hole 220 of the dischargeunit 230, thus keeping the discharge unit 230 closed. Furthermore, ahandle folding line 241 is provided along a junction between the door259 and the handle 180, so that the handle 180 is operated along thehandle folding line 241. Support brackets 210 are provided on a lowerend of the discharge unit, and support both corners of the receptacle150, thus maintaining the appearance of the receptacle 150.Additionally, the discharge unit 230 is provided with a pair of opposedside panels 260 to further secure the engagement of the discharge unit230 onto the receptacle 150. Meanwhile, a perforation 111 is provided onthe layer of predetermined material 110 around the outline of the door259. Also, a finger hole 103 is provided at an upper end of theperforation 111, thus allowing a user to easily reach the handle 180.The perforation 111 is formed to allow only the portion of the layer ofpredetermined material 110 covering the door 259 to be removed while theremaining portion of the layer of predetermined material 110 stayssecure on the container.

The receptacle 150 can be made of an existing plastic resin materialwhich is thin, transparent, and light, and this plastic resin materialis currently used in the art for the blister package. Such a materialallows a desired shape to be easily formed. Thus, after cotton swabs200, which are light in weight but are large in volume, are put into thereceptacle 150, the receptacle 150 is adhered to the backboard 100through thermal treatment. A portion of the receptacle 150 is cut out toform an aperture 159 corresponding to the opening 269 of the dischargeunit 230. Both sides of the receptacle 150 contacting the side panels260, acting as a support means, are carved corresponding to thethickness of each side panel 260. Such a construction allows thedischarge unit 230 to be firmly secured to the receptacle 150, inaddition to allowing the layer of predetermined material 110 to be inclose contact with the receptacle 150.

The discharge unit 230 is an opening structure which can be integrallyformed through injection molding. Thus, the discharge unit 230 can bemade of a thin soft plastic. The discharge unit 230 is mounted over theaperture 159 of the receptacle 150. The support brackets 210 aredisposed at a lower surface of the outer wall of the receptacle 150,thus protecting the thin outer wall of the receptacle 150. In order toprotect the backboard 100 from repeated use of a certain portion of thecontainer, rear parts 113 of the layer of predetermined material 110 areattached to the backboard 100 such that the rear parts 113 surround boththe back surface and the front surface of the backboard 100. Thereby,the discharge unit 230 is firmly held on the receptacle 150. Inaddition, the hinge line 240 has a collapsible structure, thus allowingthe door 259 to be smoothly opened or closed. According to thisinvention, it is possible to adapt one kind of discharge unit 230 toblister packages having various sizes and volumes, thus allowing thecotton swabs 200 to be hygienically dispensed.

The hinge line 240, having the collapsible structure, serves as a hingeshaft. The side panels 260, which support both sides of an upper end 235acting as the support means, are provided inside the folding line 240,while the door 259 acting as the opening means is provided outside thefolding line 240. Further, the opening 269 is provided at a junctionbetween the support means and the opening means. Due to the elasticityand tension of the hinge line 240 when the discharge unit 230 is made ofa soft plastic, the hinge line 240 may be repeatedly elasticallydeformed and restored to an original state, so that it couples thesupport means to the opening means. Meanwhile, the hinge line 240 may behardened by the weather or the like. In order to overcome this problem,an auxiliary means, that is, an adhesive sticker made of a soft PVCresin, may be attached to a surface of the hinge line 240.

The layer of predetermined material 110 can be made of a thin materialincluding, but not limited to a shrink film or an adhesive sticker. Bypulling the layer of predetermined material 110 using the finger hole103, the layer of predetermined material 110 is torn along theperforation 111 to uncover the door 259. When the layer of predeterminedmaterial 110 is made of a shrink film, the upper end 235 of the supportmeans of the discharge unit 230 is attached to the receptacle 150 usingan adhesive applied to an attachment part 112 of the layer ofpredetermined material 110. Meanwhile, when a strong adhesive packingmethod is implemented using a sticker or the like, the side panels 260acting as the support means may be omitted. Further, an advertisement ora notice may be printed on the layer of predetermined material 110, sothat it is possible to efficiently utilize the area of the layer ofpredetermined material 110. The discharge unit 230 may be attached tothe surface of the receptacle 150 using an adhesive in both embodimentsshown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5.

Preferably, the handle 180 is integrally provided on the discharge unit230. The handle folding line 241, collaterally serving as a lockingstep, has a collapsible structure, so that the handle 180 pivots upwardsand downwards about the folding line 241, thus allowing a user to easilygrasp the handle 180. According to this invention, when the layer ofpredetermined material 110 is covered on the discharge unit 230, thehandle 180 is not exposed to the outside of the layer of predeterminedmaterial 110 but is placed inside the layer of predetermined material110, so that it is advantageous to carry the container 10. By pullingthe handle 180 through the finger hole 103 which is bored on the upperportion of the layer of predetermined material 110, the layer ofpredetermined material 110 is torn along the perforation 111, so thatthe discharge unit 230 is exposed to the outside. Afterwards, byunfastening the button 245 from the button hole 220, the door 259 isopened, so that a user may take the cotton swabs 200 out of thecontainer 10. When the discharge unit 230 is made of a plastic materialhaving elasticity, as the user closes the door 259, the discharge unit230 is compressed against the receptacle 150 which is flexible in itshape when made of a thin plastic resin. Thereby, the button 245 issmoothly and precisely fastened to the button hole 220.

In another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 6, thecontainer has a receptacle 150 having an open back side and a backboard100 attached to the back side of the receptacle 150 to cover the openback side of the receptacle 150. An aperture 159 is formed through thereceptacle to form an outlet which is of a size to sufficiently pass aswab therethrough. A door 359 is placed on the receptacle 150 adjacentthe aperture 159 to cover and uncover the aperture 159. The receptacle150 further has a plurality of tabs 320 disposed on the receptacle 150along the aperture 159, and a plurality of tabs 345 is also placed alongthe edge of the door 359. The tabs 345 on the door and tabs 320 on thereceptacle are each positioned and of a sufficient size to allow thedoor 359 to removably lock onto the receptacle 150 when the door 359covers the aperture 159.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendisclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventionas disclosed in the accompanying claims.

1. In a container for holding swabs therein, said container having areceptacle with an open back side, a backboard attached to the back sideof the receptacle to completely cover the open back side of thereceptacle, said receptacle having a pair of side walls, with theimprovement comprising: an aperture formed through the receptacle, saidaperture sized to sufficiently pass a swab therethrough; a dischargeunit disposed on an outer surface of said receptacle over said apertureof said receptacle, said discharge unit having an opening formedtherethrough; a door disposed on said discharge unit for covering anduncovering said opening of said discharge unit; and, said discharge unitpositioned so that said opening of said discharge unit is in directaccess with said aperture of said receptacle when said door isuncovering said opening of said discharge unit.
 2. The container asdescribed in claim 1 wherein said discharge unit has a pair of opposedside panels, each side panel disposed on a corresponding side wall ofthe receptacle.
 3. The container as described in claim 1 furthercomprising a layer of predetermined material wrapped over at least aportion of the discharge unit, receptacle, and backboard.
 4. Thecontainer as described in claim 3 wherein the layer of predeterminedmaterial covers the door of the discharge unit, and wherein said layerof predetermined material has a perforation extending around the outlineof said door, said perforation formed to allow a portion of the layer ofmaterial to be ripped away along the perforation to uncover said doorwhile leaving the remaining portion of the layer of material wrapped onthe container.
 5. In a container for holding swabs therein, saidcontainer having a receptacle with an open back side, a backboardattached to the back side of the receptacle to completely cover the openback side of the receptacle, said receptacle having a pair of sidewalls, with the improvement comprising: an aperture formed through thereceptacle, said aperture sized to sufficiently pass a swabtherethrough; a discharge unit disposed on an outer surface of saidreceptacle over said aperture of said receptacle, said discharge unithaving an opening formed therethrough, a door disposed on said dischargeunit for covering and uncovering said opening of said discharge unit;said discharge unit positioned so that said opening of said dischargeunit is in direct access with said aperture of said receptacle when saiddoor is uncovering said opening of said discharge unit; and, a layer ofpredetermined material wrapped over at least a portion of the dischargeunit, receptacle, and backboard.
 6. The container as described in claim5 wherein said discharge unit has a pair of opposed side panels, eachside panel disposed on a corresponding side wall of the receptacle. 7.The container as described in claim 5 wherein the layer of predeterminedmaterial covers the door of the discharge unit, and wherein said layerof predetermined material has a perforation extending around the outlineof said door, said perforation formed to allow a portion of the layer ofmaterial to be ripped away along the perforation to uncover said doorwhile leaving the remaining portion of the layer of material wrapped onthe container.
 8. In a container for holding swabs therein, saidcontainer having a receptacle with an open back side, a backboardattached to the back side of the receptacle to completely cover the openback side of the receptacle, said receptacle having a pair of sidewalls, with the improvement comprising: an aperture formed through thereceptacle, said aperture sized to sufficiently pass a swabtherethrough; a discharge unit disposed inside said receptacle againstan inner surface of said receptacle over said aperture of saidreceptacle, said discharge unit having an opening formed therethrough; adoor disposed on said discharge unit for covering and uncovering saidopening of said discharge unit; and, said discharge unit positioned sothat said opening of said discharge unit is in direct access with saidaperture of said receptacle when said door is uncovering said opening ofsaid discharge unit.
 9. The container as described in claim 8 whereinsaid discharge unit has a pair of opposed side panels, each side paneldisposed on a corresponding side wall of the receptacle.
 10. Thecontainer as described in claim 8 further comprising a layer ofpredetermined material wrapped over at least a portion of the receptacleand backboard.
 11. The container as described in claim 10 wherein thelayer of predetermined material covers the opening of the receptacle,and wherein said layer of predetermined material has a perforationextending around the outline of said door, said perforation formed toallow a portion of the layer of material to be ripped away along theperforation to uncover said door while leaving the remaining portion ofthe layer of material wrapped on the container.
 12. A container forholding swabs therein, said container comprising: a receptacle with anopen back side; a backboard attached to the back side of the receptacleto completely cover the open back side of the receptacle; an apertureformed through the receptacle, said aperture sized to sufficiently passa swab therethrough; a door disposed on said receptacle adjacent saidaperture for covering and uncovering said aperture.
 13. The container asdescribed in claim 12 further comprising a plurality of tabs disposed onthe receptacle along the aperture and a plurality of tabs disposed alongthe edge of the door.